Despite the trend in recent years for increased use of composite materials, such as CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic), in the greatest possible number of aircraft components due to the weight savings such materials offer in comparison to aluminium (the preferred metallic material for use in aircraft), the majority of aircraft manufacturers are reluctant to use carbon fibre in the manufacture of fittings. This is because their complexity makes production quite expensive.
This particularly applies to fittings used for the mounting of tail vertical stabilisers. These continue to be made with metallic materials.
Along with their greater weight, the use of metallic fittings for mounting parts made with composite materials in aircraft fuselage areas that are also made with composite materials presents various problems, particularly those related to reduction of the effective casing area as well as assembly difficulties.
Manufacture of composite material fittings with shapes similar to those of metallic fittings is possible but, apart from the cost incurred due to the complexity of shape, there arises, among other problems, the fact that it is very difficult, using such a shape, for the structure of laminars to be an optimised structure for attaining the required load distribution.
In the not yet published Spanish application no. 200901039, from the same applicant as the invention presented here, there is a description of composite material fittings designed to solve these difficulties. However, the described fittings are not applicable to pressurised areas of the aircraft.
This invention is aimed at solving that problem.